Cigarette package



p 1962 A. BENJAMIN 3,052,398

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed July 19, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. flzA/V z. ZA'A/JAMM/ Spt. 4, 1962 A. L. BENJAMIN CIGARETTE PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1960 FIG. 6

- uvmvrox BY Z 52 47" T OiP/VE 1 5 United States Patent Office 3,652,398 Patented Sept. 4, 1962 3,052,398 CTGARETTE PACKAGE Alan Lewin Benjamin, Broadway Central Hotei, 673 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Filed July 19, 1960, Ser. No. 43,864 2 Claims. (Cl. 22920) This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to expendable cigarette packages.

The general object of the invention is to improve containers for cigarettes or like elongated slender articles, such as cigars, chocolate cigarettes, etc. A more particular object is to provide a container of the type which is attractive in appearance, and which provides easy access to all of the cigarettes in the container. For this purpose the container comprises an outer shell and an inner pocket, with one hinged to and readily tiltable out of the other, but with the entire container being made of a single blank of stiff paper.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the container elements and their relation one to another as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a closed container embodying features of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the container in opened condition;

FIG. 3 is a section taken through the container on a plane parallel to its face walls;

H6. 4 is a horizontal section through the container taken approximately on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows the blank used to form the container of FTGS. 1-4;

FIG. 6 shows how the blanks nest in a continuous Web of material, with a minimum of scrap or waste; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another form of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the container is made of stiff paper, and is intended to be discarded after the cigarettes have been used. It comprises an outer shell 12, and an inner pocket 14 which is of similar rectangular-shape and overall dimension, and which is received in the outer shell 12. The outer shell is closed at the top 16, and the bottom 18, but it is open at one edge, as indicated at 26. The inner pocket is closed at both edges 22 (FIG. 3) and 24, but it is open at the top 26. The inner pocket 14 is connected to the outer shell 12 at a hinge line 30 extending across the bottom.

As first sold the container may be sealed by a government revenue stamp, if one is being used, this being glued around the upper corner of the package, as shown at 33 in FIG. 1 When the stamp is cut or removed, the package is readily opened. However, such a stamp is not essential. The face walls 32 and 34 of the outer shell are cut away near the open edge, as shown at 36, for access to the inner pocket 14, so that it is easily seized and tilted out of the outer shell, as shown in FIG. 2. This may be done by one hand, with some fingers pushing the rear face of the shell away. The top edge is cut away at ltlil for easy access to the cigarettes.

Referring now to MG. 5, the entire container is preferably made of a one-piece blank of material. This is somewhat L-shaped, comprising a first arm 44 and a second arm 42. The first arm 46 is folded on fold lines 4 3 and 46 which are parallel to the second arm 42, in order to form the outer shell, and the second arm 42 is folded on fold lines 48, 50, 42, and 54 which are parallel to the first arm 40, in order to form the inner pocket which is received within the outer shell.

The first arm 40 is also cut, scored, and folded to provide a tab 56 and two overlapping flaps 58 and 69, which close the top of the outer shell. It is further provided with a tab 62 and two overlapping flaps 64 and 66 to form the bottom of the outer shell. These latter flaps are cut free for about one-half their length, as shown at 68 and 70, thereby locating the previously mentioned hinge line 36 in flap 64 and its companion line 36 in flap 66.

The other arm 42, when folded about the fold lines 52 and 54, provides the face walls 72 and 74, with previously mentioned edge wall 24 therebetween. When folded on fold lines 48 and St the opposite edge wall 22 is formed, and also a glue flap 76, which is glued to the inside of the face wall 74, as will be seen in FIG. 4.

The arm 42 also has a flap 78 and tabs 80 and 82 for the bottom of the inner pocket, and the partially cut flaps 64 and 66 of the outer shell act also as additional flaps or reinforcements for the inner pocket.

Referring to FIG. 3, the tab 56 of the outer shell may be glued between the flaps 58 and 69', shown, and similarly the tab 62 may be glued between the llaps 64 and 66, as shown. The tab 8i of the inner pocket is glued to the flap f8, and the latter is reinforced by the right hand ends of the bottom flaps 64 and 66, resulting in three layers of the material, indicated generally at 84.

The bottom of the outer shell also has three layers of material at 62, 64, 66, but the hinge portion 36 has only two layers, and therefore the bend is naturally localized at the part 30.

The blank shown in PEG. 5 may be cut from a continuous Web with a minimum of scrap or waste, because the configuration is such that it will nest with another similar L. shaped blank along the web of material. This is shown in R6. 6 in which the L shaped blank nests with a simiiar, but reversed, L shaped blank 92. The somewhat offset edge 94 of blank 92 nests with the like offset edge of the next blank as. Again the stepped edge 98 of blank 96 nests with another blank (not shown) in the position of blank @2, and so on.

The side edges are somewhat irregular, because they provide the cut away portions shown at ltttl in FIGS. 2 and 3 for easy access to the cigarettes. The edge 22 of the inner pocket is made the same length or slightly shorter than the cigarettes, and the edge 24 is made slightly longer than the cigarettes, so that there will be no interference with free tilting of the inner pocket. The cut away edge 36 also appears at the web edge, and from comparison of FIGS. 5 and 6 it will be seen that the irregular side edges are made up partially of the cuts for access to the cigarettes, and partially of the cuts 36 for access to the inner pocket. The scrap resulting from this is minor, and it is anyway necessary to employ a web wider than the blank, with some trimming of the side edges, because the original web edge cannot be relied on or used directly.

The container blank may be, and usually is, printed while still in web form, and this printing may include appropriate color for the package. There may also be a color contrast between the outer shell and the inner pocket. In such case the cut away side edges 36 may be part of a symbol representing the particular brand of cigarettes packaged in the container. Such a modified container is shown in FIG. 7, in which the outer shell T92 is dark in color, while the inner pocket ill-4 is white. The edge 106 is cut to represent the right hand edge of the letter K, and the side wall 1128 of the outer shell is left white at 116 and 112 to complete a large letter K occupying the entire side of the package. In this case the letter and color could symbolize a known brand such as Kools or Kent. The web then would differ somewhat from that shown in FIG. 6, in the configuration along the side edges of the web.

it is believed that the construction and method of manufacture of my improved cigarette package, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in several preferred forms, changes may be made in the structures shown without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An expendable container for cigarettes or like elongated slender articles, said container comprising an outer shell and an inner pocket received in the outer shell, said container being made of a single somewhat L shaped blank having first and second arms, the first arm being folded on two fold lines parallel to the second arm to form face walls and an edge wall for the outer shell, and also being cut and folded to provide a tab and overlapping fiaps to close the top of the outer shell, and a tab and overlapping fiaps to form the bottom of the outer shell, the latter flaps being out free for about one-half their length, the second arm being folded about fold lines parallel to the first arm to form face walls with a first edge Wall therebetween, and a second edge Wall and a glue flap for the inner pocket, and also being cut and folded to provide a flap and tabs for the bottom of the inner pocket, the partially cut or free flaps of the outer shell acting also as tabs for the inner pocket, and said parts remaining connected by a hinge connection located between the bottom the bottom flap of the outer shell and a bottom tab of the inner pocket.

2. An expendable container for cigarettes or like elongated slender articles, said container comprising an outer shell and an inner pocket received in the outer shell, said container being made of a single somewhat L shaped blank having first and second arms, the first arm being folded on two fold lines parallel to the second arm to form face Walls and an edge Wall for the outer shell, and also being cut and folded to provide a tab and overlapping flaps to close the top of the outer shell, and a tab and overlapping flaps to form the bottom. of the outer shell, the latter flaps r eing out free for about one-half their length, the second arm being folded about fold lines parallel to the first arm to form face walls with a first edge wall therebetween, and a second edge wall and a glue flap for the inner pocket, and also being cut and folded to provide a flap and tabs for the bottom of the inner pocket, the partially cut or free flaps of the outer shell acting also as tabs for the inner pocket, and said parts remaining connected by a hinge connection located between the bottom flap of the outer shell and a bottom tab of the inner pocket, said L shaped blank having a configuration such that it will nest with another similar L shaped blank along a web of material, so that the blanks may be made with minimum scrap or waste.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 356,244 Emery Jan. 18, 1887 1,394,591 Weis Oct. 25, 1921 1,919,100 Field July 18, 1933 2,202,280 Wilson May 28, 1940 2,610,770 Penfield Sept. 16, 1952 2,660,294 Young Nov. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,208,736 France Sept. 14, 1959 

